ABFF® Turner TV Writing Contest

Submissions are closed for 2018.

Turner Writing Contest

ABFF is excited to announce the launch of the 2018 American Black Film Festival Turner TV Writing Contest designed to shine a spotlight on diverse writers who are invited to submit an original pilot script in comedy or drama categories.

Together, Turner and ABFF will select five comedy finalists and five drama finalists, and one winner in each category will receive a trip for themselves and a guest to the 2018 American Black Film Festival in Miami from June 13-17, 2018, where they will receive an award before the festival audience which will include a cash prize of $500, and the opportunity to meet with Turner Original Programming executives.

Please review general submission guidelines below, along with the official rules.

Entrants must:

  • Be members of a diverse or underrepresented community
  • Submit an original pilot script (drama or comedy) suitable for adaptation into a television program, and a one (1) page plot summary of the script. Note: drama scripts should be 55-60 pages in length and comedy scripts should be 30-35 pages in length.
  • Submit headshot, one (1) page bio and one (1) page resume.
  • Read, complete, and sign the submission agreement.
  • Submit within the submission period: March 16, 2018 to April 2, 2018

Please note: only the first 250 submissions will be accepted for review.